Dear Mione,

I want to know the name of your fancy-pants school NOW, Mione. I hate having to send my letters to Uncle Tom and Aunt Patricia; it's sending me off my rocker!

Are you ready for the end of the school year, though? I am, and so are Daniel and Phillip! Phil's going nuts with excitement, he can't wait until school's over and we get to live with you for a month! YAY!

You are getting a makeover this year, cousin, because your bushy hair is frightening me. And all you ever wear are jeans and t-shirts! No wonder you've never had a boyfriend. No offense, of course, you know I love you, but…I want to see you happy Mione. We all do. Because we LAAAAAAAV you. :)

With love and sugar cakes,

Alicia

Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Gryffindor Table.

Hermione Granger sat on the bench at breakfast, sandwiched between her two best friends, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. Ron was currently stuffing his face while Harry was talking to Ron's sister, Ginny, across the table.

Hermione looked up when she heard a hoot, and there was an owl swooping down to the students as more feathered friends followed. She smiled when two owls came, one with her Daily Prophet and one holding two letters. She paid the first owl and got the two letters from the grey speckled one.

She read her cousin's letter and sighed. She didn't like Alicia's makeovers because it always stopped when a brush got caught in her hair or Daniel started shooting spitballs at Alicia and Alicia had to stop what she was doing and go murder him. But Hermione didn't like the makeovers anyway, because she didn't really care how she looked, and only the female members of her family cared.

She opened up the letter from her parents and smiled as she read it.

Dear Hermione,

Mother here, telling you that your father finally got an owl. Its name is Speckles, and it's the one that delivered the mail. Your father keeps forgetting it's in the house and he screams when it hoots or squawks. I, however, find it very amusing, since he does a short excerpt of The Wasp Dance.

Daniel, Alicia, and Phillip are staying for a month over the summer, Hermione, as I'm sure Alicia wrote to you about. I have been out of my wits end with cleaning the house, trying to hide the boxes we still haven't unpacked, but after I've cleaned, your father makes a mess. That man, I swear!

But I've missed you terribly, Hermione. I can't wait until school stops for you, so I can have my bushy-headed bookworm back. At least for a few months.

Love,

Mother

Ron looked over her shoulder with his mouth full and said, "Buppy bedded boowa?"

Hermione looked over at him with a disgusted look on her face, "Ugh, Ronald, swallow before you talk."

Ron gulped down the food in his mouth, "Your mum calls you a 'bushy-headed bookworm'?"

"Yes. I don't change much when I'm at home, Ron," Hermione frowned.

Ginny looked over at Hermione and said, "What are your plans for the summer, Mione?"

She smiled as she looked at the redhead, "Well, my cousins Daniel, Alicia, and Phillip are going to stay for a month! Then I don't know what I'll do, I guess I'll go to the bookstore and see if they have the new Hunger Games book out."

Ginny smiled, "Ron and I are going to have Quidditch games all the time. I'll bet you anything that I'll win all of them!"

Ron frowned, "Hey! I'm getting better!"

Alicia Spinnet leaned into the conversation for a minute, "But not much!"

Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Slytherin Table.

Draco Malfoy sat sandwiched between Pansy Parkinson and Goyle. And he didn't look happy about it at all.

The first owl that swooped in was his father's, and it zoomed to the white-blonde haired boy fast. It fluttered to a stop before stepping into his food.

Draco read the letter dully, and at the end his mouth twitched into a smile.

Dear Draco,

Your father is too busy to write – again. Bank accounts and blah blah blah, it's really just a blur to me, you know.

Your aunt Silvia had a baby, a little girl named Catrina! She's the cutest thing in Britain, but you'll see soon enough when they stay a few weeks during your summer vacation.

Draco, do you have a girlfriend? I'm only asking because my hairdresser has a daughter around your age who would like to go on a date with you. I told her I would have to ask, because you never tell your nutty mum anything anymore.

Love,

Narcissa

Pansy looked over and read the beginning of the last paragraph, "Ooooh, Draco, do you have a girlfriend?"

Draco's mouth turned back into the dull straight line, "No, I don't. You know that."

Blaise Zabini looked up from his eggs, "Thought you were dating that one girl…."

Draco shook his head, "Ended that a month ago."

"What about that blonde one?"

"Ended that four weeks ago."

"What about – "

"Ended that last year!"

"You never tell me anything. I feel like your mum," Blaise sniffed, pretending to cry, "Why don't you tell us anything, Draco?"

"I tell my mum things I want to, but I don't tell you anything because you're so freakin' weird," Draco drawled. With that he put the letter in his robe pocket and stood up, "I have to go to Potions."

Blaise put in a spoonful of eggs and said, "Dun bloo Herm-own-ninny uff!"

Draco turned around and stared at him, "What the bloody he-"

Blaise coughed, "Don't blow Hermione up!"

Draco arched an eyebrow, "Why would I blow her up?"

"How the heck should I know? You tell me nothing, remember?"

"Oh right." And then he walked away.

Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Dungeon Hallway

Hermione leaned against the cool brick wall as Ron talked about summer and how he was going to beat his little sister at Quidditch. Harry rolled his eyes and looked behind him to see her close her eyes and exhale.

"Shhh," Harry whispered to Ron, "Mione's sleeping."

Ron looked over Harry's shoulder and sighed, "That's what she gets for studying twenty-four-seven."

Snape opened the door and said, "Enter." Hermione opened her eyes and followed Harry through the door. As the three were about to sit down at their usual table, Snape stopped them.

"We're having assigned seats," Snape announced, "If it works out then I shall continue to use them next year." He accioed a paper from his desk and stood in front of the first table before calling out two names, "Weasley and Longbottom."

After a few minutes, Snape had made it to the back of the room, where only two tables were left.

"Malfoy…" Snape said, pointing to one seat. Hermione silently chanted in her head Not me, not me, not me, not me….

"Granger," Snape said at last, pointing at the chair to the right of Draco's. Hermione sighed and looked over at Harry, who was next to Hannah Abbott. Harry gave her a sympathetic look, while Ron had his mouth hanging wide open.

"Today," Snape said once he was at the front of the room again, "You will be making a shrinking potion as partners." He then flicked his wand at the board, which wrote down the ingredients, "Continue." Then he sat down at his desk.

"Ugh," Draco muttered as he stared down into their cauldron, "Smells like something died in here."

"It's a cauldron, Malfoy. It's not like it's supposed to smell like a spring breeze," Hermione said as she grabbed a daisy root.

Draco got a root too and began cutting. And they didn't talk again as they made their potion.

Which could be why it exploded in their faces a few minutes later.

Hermione stared down into the smoking cauldron, unable to see the liquid or a bottom. She looked over at Draco, whose face was black and his usually slicked back hair looked like a punk rockstar had taken to it.

Snape appeared at the front of their table, his face smeared black too, and he growled, "Go…to…Dumbledore…NOW!"

Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Headmaster's Office

Draco looked over at Hermione as she stared at the ground as her feet lazily kicked the chair. He looked down at his hands in his lap and wondered how his father was going to kill him.

"The biggest explosion in Hogwarts history!" Professor McGonagall screeched as she walked into the room with Professor Snape, "What were you two thinking? Better yet, what were you doing?"

"I-I-I," Hermione stammered. She had never seen McGonagall this mad, "It w-w-was an a-a-accident."

"We, we," Draco gulped, "Didn't mean to."

Dumbledore finally decided to make his entrance. He looked at the two hard, then turned to his colleagues, "I will take care of this."

Snape quirked an eyebrow in shock, "You wish us to leave?"

"Yes, that's what I meant," Dumbledore said, giving him a weary smile. Snape had to steer a shocked-beyond-words McGonagall out the door.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk and stared at the two students, Draco as pale as Nearly Headless Nick and Hermione looking as if she were about to faint.

He grabbed something from the top of his desk and held it out to them, "Lemon drop?"

Draco blinked and some color returned to his face, "Do wha?"

Hermione looked at Dumbledore with surprise, "Huh?"

"Lemon drops. Surely you have heard of them, Hermione."

"I know what a lemon drop is, Headmaster," Hermione said. Draco saw something glistening on her cheek and realized that she had been crying.

"Would you like one?" Dumbledore smiled. Hermione numbly took one from the tin, popped it in her mouth, and let it sit there. He then offered one to Draco, who got one as well, then stared at it as if he didn't know what to do with it.

Dumbledore sat calmly behind his desk, "I cannot give you detention, since there are not many days of the school year left. But I think I know what caused your potion to explode…you didn't talk to one another, did you? You didn't ask if the other had done this already, you just did what you thought needed to be done. And you ended up with your robes singed. Oh, Mister Malfoy, that reminds me. Will you please put out your knee?"

Draco stared at Dumbledore blankly before realizing his knee was slowly burning, since he was stressed and his magic had decided to get a mind of its own.

"Oh shi-!" Draco yelped as he swatted at his knee.

"Headmaster," Hermione interrupted, "What is our punishment?"

Dumbledore's eyes sparkled, "I'm glad you asked that, Miss Granger. Draco, once school is over, you will be spending five weeks at Miss Granger's home. Once that time is up, Hermione will go to live with you for five weeks. And if that does not happen, you will have detention every night together next year when you come back. Is that clear?"

Hermione's lemon drop popped out of her mouth and onto the floor, while Draco was staring at the old man with bulging eyes.

"You're joking, right?" Draco asked finally.

"If I was joking, I would be laughing," Dumbledore smiled.

"But he hates me!" Hermione said, jumping up from her chair.

"But she hates me!" Draco agreed.

"All the more reason to spend time together," Dumbledore said, "Now, may I suggest you go to the Hospital Wing and ask Madame Pomfrey to see if you have any injuries, hm?"

The two walked out of the room, side by side, and shut the door behind them.

Dumbledore smiled, looked around his office, then plopped his feet up on his desk and sighed heavily, "I need a nap."

Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hospital Wing

Draco watched as Madame Pomfrey wrapped Hermione's hand in a layer of gauze as Hermione tried to get black smudges off of her face.

Once Madame Pomfrey left for a few minutes to check on some other students, Hermione looked over at him.

"If you try anything with my family, I will go Avada Kedavra on your butt," she hissed.

Draco rolled his eyes, "I wouldn't do anything to your family, Granger. In fact, I'm going to do the exact opposite."

"What's that?" she asked.

"I'm going to be a complete gentleman to prove you wrong in front of your parents, because I just know you told your parents how much you hate me and how much I hate you."

"My parents aren't going to be the only ones there, Malfoy. My cousins, Daniel, Alicia, and Phillip, are staying the month you're coming. Alicia will probably break your arm or something if you try anything funny. Oh, this will be good."

"What?" Draco asked. His plan only worked on adults. And he didn't like the sound of Alicia.

Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Gryffindor Common Room

"WHAT?" Harry, Ginny, and Ron roared.

Hermione groaned as she plopped her face into the fur of her cat, Crookshanks, "I know!"

"But he, Mione, he…he's Draco Malfoy!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Tell me about it," Hermione sighed, "And it's in the same month my cousins are staying too!"

"What rotten luck," Ron said, "Being stuck with Malfoy. Yuck!"

"It could be worse," Harry offered.

"How?" Ginny, Hermione and Ron asked.

Harry blinked then said, "Sorry, there's no way it could be worse."

Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Slytherin Boys Dormitory

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Blaise laughed as tears swam down his face.

Draco glared at him and growled, "It's…not…funny…."

"IT IS TOO! BWAHAHA!" Blaise laughed before sitting up on his bed, "But seriously though – what is your dad going to say?"

"That's just it! I don't know! He might kill her for all I know!" Draco said as he paced the room.

"What a pity that would be, eh?" Blaise asked, a small secretive smile on his face.

"Yeah," Draco agreed.

Blaise's secretive smile got bigger, "I mean, Hermione Granger isn't the ugly duckling she used to be in first year, eh?"

"Yeah," Draco agreed again, still pacing.

"Polite, nice eyes, not too bad to look at," Blaise said as he laid on his back and looked at Draco pace from upside down, "Okay, aside from the hair, but that can be dealt with."

Draco's voice sounded far away and dreamy, "Yeah…." Then he snapped back into focus and screamed, "No! Stop that!"

"Stop what?" Blaise asked, still smiling.

"Stop making me think about Granger!"

"Mate, I'm not making you do anything!" Blaise smiled. Draco let this sink in, then looked as if Blaise had just killed his puppy.

"Oh my Merlin…WILL YOU STOP SMILING LIKE THAT?"

"BWAHAHAHA! NEEEEVEEEERRR!"

Thwack.

"Owww. Drakey, why'd you hit me? Violence never helps anything!"

"Yes it does."

"Oh really? Enlighten me then."

"I feel better now."

Chwop.

"You'll pay for that, Zabini!"

Hogwarts Express

Hermione sighed again as she watched out the window, "Summer with Malfoy, of all people."

"Come on, Hermione, it can't be that bad," Neville said, "He said he was going to be a gentleman, right?"

"He said he was going to be a gentleman, yes, but that may only be around my parents," Hermione sighed again.

"Hermione, stop acting like you can see a thestral," Luna scolded, "You're only stuck with him for seventy days. There are more days of the summer than that!"

Hermione blinked then nodded slowly, "You're right, Luna. Thank you."

Luna smiled and nodded, "You're welcome." She then resumed to her upside down issue of The Quibbler.

"Besides," Neville smiled, "I think Draco might even like you."

Ginny stared at Neville strangely before saying, "I see your point."

"What?" Hermione shrieked, "He doesn't like me! I don't like him! You're all nuts! And what do you mean by that, Ginerva?"

Ginny glared at Hermione and pointed her wand at her saying, "Silencio." Hermione soundlessly gasped at Ginny.

"First off, never call me Ginerva. I don't know what my mother was thinking when she named me. Secondly, I mean, he hasn't been that nasty to you for a while. Sure, he still doesn't use your first name and avoids treating you like you're an actual wizard, but overlooking that, he has been kinda nice to you. At least he doesn't call you 'Girl Weasel', the ferret."

Harry walked in then and sat down next to Ginny, "Hey. What are we talking about?"

"Draco likes Hermione," Luna said dully, "Oh look, green is out of style."

"What?" Harry blinked, "Since when did Ferret Boy like her?"

"I dunno," Neville shrugged, "I started seeing it a while ago. I can't explain it. It was just like –BAM! – he likes her."

"Mione, do you think so?" Harry asked, turning his attention onto Hermione. She was pointing furiously at an innocent looking Ginny while clutching her throat.

"Okay, Ginny, what do you think then?" Harry asked, thinking Hermione meant to ask Ginny. Hermione quickly got the book out of her bag and hit Harry over the head with it.

"Oh, right, Ginny did a Silencio on her," Luna said.

Harry whirled around to look at Ginny again, "Ginny! Why would you do that to Hermione?"

Ginny pouted, "I didn't want her to interrupt me. Or yell at me."

Before Harry could tell her what a bad thing to do to a friend that was, the door slid open and the blonde Slytherin stepped in.

"What the bloody hell?" Ginny blinked.

"I have no idea what Granger's parents look like," Draco drawled, "And I have no idea where she lives."

Harry undid Ginny's Silencio on Hermione. She glared at the girl and said, "I hate you."

Ginny giggled and hugged her, "Hate you too!" This, apparently, was her apology.

"Tuh," Draco said, rolling his eyes, "Girls."

Hermione calmly reached down to the bag next to her feet and got her wand out, pointed it at Draco and said, "Silencio."

Draco's mouth flew open and he mouthed, "Granger!"

Hermione smiled and turned to Ginny, "All is forgiven."

King's Cross Train Station

Crookshanks meowed loudly in his cage, not liking his confinement.

"Hold on, kitty, we just need to find Mum and Dad," Hermione told the red cat, sticking her fingers in the slot and wiggling them a bit, rubbing Crookshanks's fur. Instead he swatted at her fingers, thinking they were something to play with.

"Hermione!" a female voice said. Hermione whirled around and smiled before hugging her mother. Her mum had dull brown hair, and was dressed in jeans and a cardigan with the sleeves rolled up.

"Mum! I missed you so much!" Hermione said happily.

"I missed you too, love," her mum, Patricia, smiled, "Your headmaster wrote to your father and I, telling us everything."

Hermione's smile faltered, "Everything?"

Patricia was still smiling though, "Yes, everything. You blew up the school! You take after me so much!"

Patricia turned to Draco and held her hand out, "Hullo, my name is Doctor Patricia Granger. You're Draco Malfoy, I suspect?"

Draco smiled politely and shook her hand, "Yes, I am. Umm…what's a 'doctor'?"

"Oh, well, the title can mean three different things, someone who helps people who are injured or sick, someone who takes care of animals, and – in my case – someone who fixes other people's teeth."

"No offense, but, um, eww…." Patricia laughed and noticed Crookshanks, who was meowing loudly again.

"Ohhh, my poor Crooky! Has big, bad, mean Hermione put you in an ickle cage?" Patricia said as she put her fingers in the cage, only this time Crookshanks rubbed against her fingers and purred.

"Traitor cat," Hermione mumbled.

Draco arched an eyebrow at her, "It's a cat. And you're jealous about who it likes?"

Hermione pouted, and Draco couldn't help but notice that she looked adorable when she did this, "But it's my cat," she said.

Mrs. Granger's Car

Hermione looked over her shoulder at Draco, who was sitting in the backseat with Crookshanks purring on his lap, and smiled, "My cat likes you, for some strange reason."

"Why wouldn't he?" Draco smirked.

"Beats the heck out of me," Hermione said as she turned back around, "How come Dad isn't here, Mum?"

Patricia started the car and backed out of the parking space, "Your aunt dropped off your cousins earlier than we expected, and somebody had to watch after them, since we couldn't all fit in here or in your dad's car."

Hermione perked up, "They're at the house?"

"Yup! Alicia adores your room, Hermione, which is great seeing as…."

"Mum…."

"Well, we only have one guestroom in this house…."

"Mum, you didn't! She's probably throwing out all of my favorite clothes by now!" Hermione groaned.

Patricia rolled her eyes, "I'm sorry Draco, but you have to stay with Daniel and Phillip. They're good boys, but…yeah…."

Hermione turned back around to look at him, "I will say this once, and only because I know what you're about to get into: I feel sorry for you Malfoy."

"Uhhh…" Draco answered, "Have they ever been to prison?"

Hermione got a look on her face and thought for a moment, "I think Daniel was close to going to juvenile prison once, but he got out of it…."

Patricia lightly whacked Hermione on the arm, "He did not! Draco, they're very nice, they've never did anything outside of the law, they just like to tease and pull pranks on people."

"Better than my cousins," Draco said as he leaned back in his seat and relaxed.

"Oh?" Hermione asked dully.

"Yeah. They're all adults. That's really boring."

"Hey, we have kids, we have bills, we get stressed okay? It's not our fault," Patricia said. Hermione started giggling and Draco smiled in the backseat before Crookshanks leaped himself into Hermione's lap.

"There's my kitty!" Hermione smiled as she stroked Crookshanks, who yawned as if to say 'Yeah, yeah, shut up now, nap time.'

Granger Household

Hermione got out of the car and stretched, looking at her three-story house in the middle of a big green lawn, with a good sized stream in the back, near the woods. Her family didn't own all of it, but the neighbors (who were a few miles away) were well off and nice, so there weren't any territory issues.

Patricia smiled as she held a purring ginger cat, "Why don't you wake Draco up?"

Hermione nodded and slammed her car door, thinking that would work. No effect. She then leaned down to the window, knocked three times on the glass and said "Malfoy," then repeated until the blonde finally woke up and opened the door.

"What?" he asked irritably.

"HERMIONE!" two voices screamed before a twelve year old boy wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist and hugged her. He had auburn hair and glasses and was dressed in a red shirt with a yellow lightning bolt on it and jeans, along with converse shoes that Draco thought looked odd.

"Phillip!" Hermione said happily, returning the hug, "How have you been? Did you get good grades? You aren't repeating are you?"

Phillip laughed, "No, Mione, I just barely passed. Yay!" He then opened up the passenger door and climbed in, "Now, where is that thing?"

Draco opened his mouth to ask him what he was looking for, when Hermione shot him a look that said "Don't ask, it's not worth it."

"BWAHA!" Phillip said before leaping out of the car and running off, holding up a piece of paper.

Hermione gasped and tore off after him, "GIVE THAT BACK, YOU LITTLE BUGGER!"

"HERMIONE JEAN, BE NICE TO YOUR COUSIN!" Patricia shouted.

Draco Malfoy watched as Hermione chased a twelve year old as a taller guy followed her. Right after she got the paper from Phillip, the guy tackled her to the ground and crouched over her.

Draco walked up to them and noticed that the guy looked around sixteen or seventeen and he had a string of spit leading down his mouth, daring to splash Hermione in the face with it.

"May fi fuffest foo clofe yaw moff," the guy said. He had black hair and was dressed in a black t-shirt with a grey long sleeved shirt underneath, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and jeans, along with black converse.

Draco kneeled down to look at the guys face, "Hi. Draco Malfoy."

"DANIEL GRANGER, GET OFF OF HERMIONE!" a female voice screamed.

The string of spit was slurped up to the guy's mouth, "My radar's off. I thought she was farther away." He got off of a laughing Hermione and towered a few inches above Draco, "Hi. As my loud sister said before, I'm Daniel Granger."

"You do that every time we see each other!" the girl, Alicia, said, "Even at weddings!" She turned to Draco and her mouth flew open, "Holy crap on a cracker, he's hot."

Hermione sat up straight and gasped, "Alicia!" while Daniel staggered back and cried "EW!" Draco just stood there; he was used to it.

Alicia then began to jump up and down, although she was looking at Hermione, "Oh my gosh, Mione, no wonder you never let me set you up with Dean!"

"Alicia, this isn't what you think," Hermione said as she got up. But she was already saying it.

"You have a boyfriend!"

"OH, EW, NO FREAKING WAY!" Hermione and Draco cried.

Alicia pouted, "Aw man. I thought you finally got a boyfriend."

Phillip walked by, "It's not like the guys haven't tried, Lice. There's been, like, twenty of them every year that want to go out with Mione. This year, I'm going to keep track."

"You will do no such thing!" Hermione shouted.

"I will do yes such thing!" Phillip shouted back.

"That doesn't make sense!" Hermione sighed.

"Let him go. He's nuts," Daniel said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, Mione, I start working my magic tomorrow," Alicia smiled wickedly, "And I refuse to quit this time! I won't even try to kill Daniel!"

Hermione's eyes widened, "No way."

"I actually want to see you with a guy sometime, Hermione," Daniel said. He blinked then looked over at Draco, "Er, I mean, with a guy, you know? I mean, okay, not standing next to a guy but, like, dating him."

Alicia rolled her eyes and looked at Draco, "He's the smartest guy in our school and he's a piano protégé, but he is still a goofball!"

"Protégé?" Draco's eyebrows went up.

Daniel glared at Alicia, who was leading Hermione up to the house and talking, using her hands a lot.

"Yeah, when I was seven I did some huge concert. Froze like an icecube. Never went back," Daniel shrugged, "People say that, like, my brain is really big or something, cause I ace all my grades. I think it's genetic, cause Mione's got it too. Not the protégé thing, well, she could if she wanted to."

"Your sister's right."

"'Bout what?"

"You are a goofball."

…Don't ask me what's going on in my brain. I don't even know.

The Big Bang Theory is my favorite TV show on CBS. "Holy crap on a cracker", the *knock**knock**knock* (insert name here) thing, and the Flash t-shirt are all little sneaklets of it. :)

I will say this one time, and one time only: Daniel, Alicia, and Phillip are my characters, and I own the plot. Harry Potter belongs to J., while The Big Bang Theory belongs to CBS.

Next chapter, we get to see Hermione's makeover and Draco's life at the Granger house.